Alan Shields (1944–2005) became widely known for his large-scale pieces that used materials as diverse as cotton belting and strung beads to forge a new concept for art works that operated not as painting or sculpture but as an amalgam of the two.

Alan Shields: Stirring up the Waters will reunite works from the late 1960s, 1970s, and early 1980s, some of which have not been shown in decades. Revisiting this early period will provide a long overdue opportunity to view this work in the context of Shields’s entire career, to examine his position among his peers, and to assess his continuing importance for art-making today.